Driving Force

The Jakarta Post   |  Wed, 03/12/2008 4:22 PM  |  Auto

Clothes are our uniform in the world, but a car signals where you are headed in life. Or so says one designer. Maggie Tiojakin reports.

“Vroom! Vroom!” roars the Batmobile every time the dark-robed hero speeds off at 60,000 (or so it seems) miles per hour to catch the villain. The same noise is produced by Veronica’s little red Corvette whenever she drives past the awe-struck Archie Andrews, whose beloved Jalopy can barely muster a mild “Brrr…”

Then, of course, there’s James Bond and his widely popular vehicle. Whoever says a car is just a car has clearly never driven an Aston Martin (nor have they ridden next to Mr. Bond, for that matter.)

So what is it exactly about a car that makes or breaks a person’s carefully constructed public persona?

“[A car] is not just a product you use,” says Chris Bangle, chief designer of BMW Group in whose care the BMW’s 3 Series and X5 Sports Activity Vehicle have emerged as some of the world’s leading automotive designs. “It is you.”

In Bangle’s words, a car is an avatar of the person who owns it. He is concerned that overpopulated countries like Japan, Singapore and Indonesia are planning to curb the number of private cars on the streets.

“Without a car, who’s gonna do the talking before the actual meeting for you?” he asked an audience of about 20 journalists invited to Singapore for a workshop with him in late 2007. “What’s gonna tell the other person—the potential love of your life—how cool, successful and sexy you are?”

Although the 51-year-old American was being humorous, more than half of the people in the room nodded their heads approvingly.

Most automotive lovers and collectors will agree that choosing what car to drive is not unlike finding the perfect gown or tuxedo to wear on prom night: You don’t want to look good, you want to look amazing.

“I’m not a car freak,” says Riyanto Tumenggolo, an investment banker. “But I love my car. I like how it makes me feel.”

Does his silver Audi provide an extra ounce of self-esteem?

“Well, sure,” he says. “If I go clubbing in a rusty, second-hand car that belongs in a recycle bin … I mean, for real? No one’s going to say yes when I ask them out on a date.”

So it all comes down to?

“The old rule of thumb, money,” comments Wawan, a car dealer. “Owning a luxury car means you’re above average financially. It also means you have a good job and probably a beautiful home somewhere. It sounds superficial, but people are attracted to these things.”

Nevertheless, there are plenty of economy cars which do not necessarily fall into the category of luxury vehicles, yet have the look of a winner.

“Economical cars can look great,” Bangle says. “All you have to do, as designers, is think outside of the box.”

One of the greatest challenges for future car designs, he warns, is to avoid uniformity.

“You can’t ignore authenticity,” he adds. “Because a design—any design—has to continue to improve and empower the market.”

In other words, stand out. Some believe they can tell a person by the car he or she drives, while others see cars as simply transportation “tools”.

“For me, it’s important to be different,” replies Riyanto. “It’s important to own a car that I can identify with, that says something about me.”

He’s not alone. A poll done in 2003 says there are more than 600 million passenger cars around the world, with that number expected to double by 2030 (Forbes.) In Jakarta alone, the number of privately owned automobiles has skyrocketed from 123,000 in 1964 to almost 1.5 million 2006 (Kompas, 2007.)

Without a doubt, there’s more to a car than how it looks. Basic aspects like effectiveness, fuel consumption and sustainability are no less important in the process of designing a car.

“I believe in teamwork,” Bangle says in winding up his presentation. “There’s so many people involved, from the engineers to the sketch artists—everyone plays a vital role in the design process.”

And, next in line for BMW is …

“I can’t tell you that,” he chuckles. “You’ll have to keep your eyes and ears open wide.”

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